In a bizarre turn of events, 12 agitating farmers in Karnataka attempted suicide in a tahsildar’s office on Friday by consuming pesticide and reports said that the condition of six of them was serious.

The farmers of Jewargi town, belonging to the Gulbarga District Raita Raitha Horata Samiti, had been on agitation for the past five days demanding that the State government intervene in the market to help stabilise prices of red gram.

Reports said that after being given first aid, the six farmers were shifted to the Government General Hospital here. The condition of the other six was reported to be stable and they are being treated at the Government Hospital in Jewargi.

The incident had an impact and the main demand for intervention in the market by the government was conceded, according to information available here on Friday night.

Farmers’ dharna

There was tension in Jewargi town throughout the day with more than 1,500 farmers joining a dharna outside the tahsildar’s office in the morning. The farmers had set a deadline of 5 p.m. to the government to withdraw the order issued by the Cooperation Department stating that government agencies would intervene in the market only if red gram prices fell below Rs. 3,000, the minimum support price fixed by the Union government, and buy red gram offering Rs. 4,000 a quintal directly from farmers.

At 5 p.m., a group of 20 farmers, shouting slogans against the government, barged into the tahsildar’s office and ransacked it, damaging furniture, even as shocked officials, including Assistant Commissioner Sangappa, watched helplessly.

Police personnel were also outnumbered by the protesting farmers. The 12 farmers, who were part of the group, took out pesticide bottles and consumed the content. Shocked police personnel and Revenue Department officials immediately shifted the farmers to the Government Hospital in Jewargi. Even as news about the suicide attempt spread, there was tension in the town.